Wallaby Tate McDermott made his long-awaited return to the field in round seven after eight months on the sidelines to lead University of Queensland to victory in St Lucia.

Norths edged out a tight one against Bond University, while Brothers ran in eight tries at Biggs Field to remain in top spot.

And Easts kept GPS from climbing the ladder with a hard-fought win at home.

University of Queensland 32-28 Souths 

University of Queensland climbed off the bottom of the ladder with a bonus-point win at home, bolstered by returning Wallaby scrum half Tate McDermott.

Heading into round seven, the Red Heavies sat in last place having struggled to find their rhythm in the first half of the season.

But they came out with a different energy as they hosted Souths in St Lucia, scoring through fullback Tom Howard with their first attacking opportunity just three minutes into the game.

Reece Tapine picked up another five points minutes later, before McDermott showed why he’s among the most highly rated halfbacks in the world right now.

Having not played since suffering a serious hamstring injury in last year’s Bledisloe Cup, the 50-test veteran was a step ahead of the Souths defence when he took a quick tap and snuck over from 10 metres out.

McDermott’s impact was unmistakable, directing UQ around the park to secure their bonus-point score before the half – and his return to club rugby – wrapped up.

Souths managed a solitary score with a driving maul on the stroke of half time, but they had plenty of work to do, trailing 20-7 at the break.

And the home side started the second half just as they had done in the first, scoring twice early to extend their lead to 25 points with 30 minutes to play.

Despite leaving their comeback late, the visitors then dominated the remainder of the half, scoring three tries to the Red Heavies’ two.

The highlight of the half saw Souths winger Konrad Tu’ua show lighting pace to break out past halfway, before fullback Paddy McInally completed the coast-to-coast effort, racing around the scrambling defence to go in under the posts.

But even that wasn’t enough to inject the spark the Magpies needed, unable to recover from UQ’s earlier rampage.

The win sees the Red Heavies move up into seventh place, and match Souths with 16 points on the ladder.

Norths 38-34 Bond University 

Norths toppled last year’s champions at home, surviving a late surge from the visitors to maintain a comfortable buffer in second place on the table.

A win would have seen Bond climb above Norths after a less-than ideal start to their title defence, while the home side were looking for retribution after being knocked off the perch by Brothers last week.

There was plenty to play for and the first half certainly delivered. The Bull Sharks struck first through hooker Nik Mitchell at the back of their maul, then Norths wingers Mackenzie Fox and Alex Flanagan-Smith ran in one each.

Bond responded through Heremaia Murray before Mitchell got his second in near-identical fashion to the first.

The Eagles’ flankers Leo Langbridge and Alex Watkins crossed either side of half time to put the home side in the driver’s seat, before a Bond yellow card made way for Norths to add another two tries.

The visitors stayed in the fight with a try to the ever-reliable Ethan Morgan on the right wing, but another yellow for the Bull Sharks saw Langbridge secure a double and extend the Eagles’ lead out to 16 points with 15 minutes left to play.

Fighting until the final minute, Bond got back within striking distance through Kobe Walters and William Rua, and had an attacking opportunity in prime real estate with the clock in the red.

Unfortunately, a knock-on close to the line gave the advantage back to Norths, who closed out another five-point victory to remain in second place, just three points behind Brothers.

Bond hold onto fourth but will now have to recover a 10-point deficit if they are to challenge for the minor premiership.

Brothers 50-26 Sunnybank 

Brothers ran rampant at Biggs Field, scoring six tries in the first half to put the game out of reach for Sunnybank before they’d made it to drinks.

Benn Dalle Cort got the scoring underway almost immediately, then Sunnybank responded quickly through Joseph Faulalo, as both teams showed early promise in attack.

But the match quickly turned one-sided. A strong carry from Michael Wood in the first phase off the lineout saw him put his flanker pairing in Noah Nielsen over for five points, before Dre Pakeho got away from four defenders and gave Kaelen Grafton a run to the line.

A yellow card made matters worse for the home side, as the visitors stepped it up a notch and ran in three more unanswered tries – including a double for Pakeho – to make it 38-7 as they headed into the sheds.

Special mention must go to Brethren second rower Leo McCarthy, who scored one of the all-time tight five tries – and one he will no-doubt be recounting in the club house for years to come.

Deep in his own half, McCarthy received the ball on the left wing as Brothers looked to play from their own 22. Turning the fullback inside out and beating another covering defender, the lock was unstoppable in his 80-metre gallop to the line just before half time.

Sunnybank scored twice quickly when play restarted and looked to mount somewhat of a comeback, but the visitors still had more in their back pocket, adding another 12 points to round out the half.

The damage had already been done in the first 40 minutes, seeing Brothers secure another five-point win to cement their place atop the ladder. The loss sees Sunnybank relegated to the wooden spoon position, one point behind GPS but still only six points shy of Bond University in fourth.

Easts 31-24 GPS

A genuine arm wrestle at David Wilson Field saw Easts edge out an impressive GPS outfit and maintain their position in the top four with a buffer of seven points.

The visitors drew first blood through powerful winger Bailey Trew, who regathered a soaring box kick on the left wing before being tackled but managing to get to his feet and make a final surge for the line.

Then Easts made short work of the Gallopers’ defence with their first attacking set deep in the visitors’ half, trucking it through the middle before releasing the ball out to centre Matthew Smit who split two defenders and crashed over.

Another try apiece came within the first 20 minutes, before both sides tightened up their defences. Easts managed just one penalty for the remainder of the half to lead 17-12 at the break.

The Tigers wasted no time in the second half, with the try of the day scored by William Nason just one minute after the restart.

Just inside their own half, there was nothing on for the home side as Lachlan Kirk put up a soaring contestable kick. But it fell perfectly for Nason, as the fullback snatched the ball on the half-volley like he had it on a string and raced away to score.

GPS responded soon after when Trew caught a perfectly weighted cross-field kick and released the ball back inside for Ben Johnston to grab a five pointer.

Then Easts secured their bonus point when an intercept on the right wing found its way to Smit for a double.

But the visitors still had plenty of fight left, scoring once more through Garlen Peace and giving themselves an opportunity to level the match with a maul close to the Tigers’ line as the final bell sounded.

However, it wasn’t to be for GPS as the home side managed to turn the ball over in the dying seconds.

The Gallopers deserved to take more than one point back home but will take plenty of confidence in their ability to push the competition’s top sides to the final whistle.

Easts remain in third place, now four points ahead of Bond University, with the gap between the top three and the rest of the ladder starting to grow.